Godfathering
by lilyevansJan30
Summary: Harry learns what it means to be a godfather, with important help along the way.
1. Chapter 1

I don't spend much time on social media, but a couple of months ago, someone directed me to the wonderful HP fanart by Blvnk. I follow her on my otherwise unused Tumblr account, and she recently posted a gorgeous drawing of Harry learning how to hold Teddy. This little story popped into my mind as a result. I think I may add to it from time to time; I have a few little plot bunnies that I think might fit in this universe. And I've just edited it a bit; I wrote and posted quickly and the first reading was a little rough.

Today, Harry was particularly aware of the fact that he had no memory of being held by his mother or father. It was not a loss he had really considered before, during those moments over the years when he'd allowed himself to follow the path of _what if_ . What if his parents had not died that Halloween in Godric's Hollow, what if they had lived to raise him, what if his life had been that of an ordinary wizard child and not The Boy Who Lived?

He would have had birthday parties, toy brooms, friends. He would have looked forward to getting his Hogwarts letter and gone with his parents to Diagon Alley for his books.

He would have remembered his mum and dad holding him.

It was two days after Voldemort died, and Harry was on his way to Andromeda Tonks' cottage. He was bringing a toy lion for Teddy and a bottle of fine Goblin-made wine for Andromeda. He had wanted to bring something for himself as well, but Harry did not think it was appropriate to ask Ginny to leave her family. Not right now. They still hadn't really talked enough, and Harry wasn't sure when the right time for that talk was going to be.

Andromeda's eyes were red but her back was straight. She took the wine and placed Teddy carefully in Harry's arms almost without preamble. When Harry started to protest – he'd never been near a baby before let alone hold one – she huffed impatiently.

"Babies are harder to break than you think," she said. "It's when they . . . they grow up that you have to worry."

Harry had no answer to that.

He shifted Teddy in his arms, resting one under the baby's tiny bum, and looked down in surprise when Teddy naturally slipped into the crook of Harry's arm, his blondish head against Harry's chest. As Harry watched, the tips of Teddy's hair turned a warm reddish pink.

"That means he's comfortable," remarked Andromeda. She was watching them both. "Nymph . . . Nymphadora used to go pink too." The woman's eyes grew brighter and she turned away. "Do you want something to drink?" she asked, "I'm going to open that wine."

"I'm fine, thanks," said Harry. The urge not to make any more work for the woman was strong.

Back still to him, Andromeda nodded. "I'll just be . . . in the kitchen for a moment then."

Alone, Harry looked down at his sleeping godson. He was lightly smacking his lips together, and as Harry watched, one tiny arm flailed up for a second and then settled back against Harry.

Without really thinking about it, Harry began to walk around the room. He passed the fireplace, where happy pictures fought for prominence. Young Tonks and her parents, one with Remus at what must have been their wedding -Remus looking grave behind his smile, and then the two of them, grinning crazily over a blanket-wrapped bundle.

Harry regarded that photo for a long time.

"I don't remember my parents holding me, either," he finally said. "I didn't even have any pictures of them, when I was growing up. You will, though. And you'll have plenty of people to tell you stories about them. Did you know that your dad and my dad were friends? It's true, they met at Hogwarts. They had a lot of crazy times there, too." Harry sighed. "I wish I knew more of their stories."

"I didn't know Remus as well as I should have." Andromeda had come back into the room. "He was a good man, and good for my daughter. It took me longer than I care to admit to recognize that."

"It took him longer to realize that he was right for your daughter too," Harry said bluntly. "I'm just glad he finally did. They were both really happy."

"Thank you," said Andromeda. When Harry looked at her quizzically, she added, "For not saying 'at least.' At least they got married, at least they had Teddy, at least they were both happy . . .before they died." Her eyes flashed and for a minute, Harry was uncomfortably reminded of her sister Bellatrix. He grimaced.

"It just makes it worse, doesn't it? At least my parents had fifteen months with me, at least I got to know my godfather." Harry looked openly at her. "Trust me, Mrs. Tonks, I'll be the last one trying to put a bright spin on all this for Teddy."

She nodded. "Please, call me Andromeda. I expect . . . I hope, that we will be seeing quite a lot of each other?"

Harry nodded firmly. "I promise," he said. He gave a small grin. "Remus didn't really like to fly that much, but I think Tonks wasn't bad. Hopefully Teddy inherited her talent there."

As if he knew he was being talked about, Teddy whimpered suddenly. He wiggled in Harry's arms and the whimper turned into a cry. Harry looked down in a panic. "What did I do?"

Andromeda laughed softly. "You held a baby past his mealtime. I have something for him in the kitchen."

It was much harder to hold Teddy now that he was awake and decidedly unhappy. He wailed and arched his back as Harry carried him and Harry was suddenly reminded of the time Hermione had thought it would be a good idea to give Crookshanks a bath.

"Do you think he's upset because he doesn't recognize me?" Harry asked. He watched as Andromeda mixed a bottle and warmed it with a tap of her wand.

"I don't know that his eyes are that developed yet, but you probably smell different than he's used to." Andromeda gestured at a chair. "It's easier to feed him if you are sitting down."

It hadn't occurred to Harry that he was going to be the one feeding Teddy, but he did as he was told. Andromeda helped him arrange Teddy more comfortably and then gave him a small white cloth, "just in case."

Teddy stopped crying and eagerly began drinking. Harry felt oddly triumphant. "He's eating it!"

Andromeda laughed. "You look like a natural, Harry." Her smile softened. "It will be good practice for you, if you have your own, someday."

For some reason, Harry flushed. "I hope so," he said quietly. His thoughts strayed to Ginny.

"There is someone you are thinking about." Andromeda's statement didn't pry.

He nodded. "I broke up with her a year ago, to keep her safe," he said. At Andromeda's nod of understanding, he continued. "But I didn't stop thinking about her."

"And now?"

Harry sighed. He'd spent the last two days giving Ginny sad smiles and the occasional one-armed hug. She had barely left her family's side, and while Harry was fairly certain about his place in the Weasley's definition of family, he didn't want to make the first move. It was a relief to admit it all.

"And now I want to be with her again," he said. "But . . . her brother, one of her brothers, was killed." He didn't really have to say anything else.

"If she feels about you the way you do about her, she's going to want you near, Harry." Andromeda spoke with conviction. "I was married for twenty-seven years. Ted . . . Ted and I had our quarrels, to be sure, but once I knew I loved him, and he loved me, that didn't change." She sighed.

"We haven't said those words, not yet." Harry had no idea why he felt so comfortable talking to this women he barely knew. But the past and the present had been crowding closer and closer around him ever since he arrived, and now he thought, maybe, that he could finally see a glimmer of future.

"But you will." The conviction was still there. Andromeda smiled. "I tried to talk to my daughter about Remus a couple of times. It's not as easy to give the right advice to your own children. I'm lucky she was able to find another sympathetic ear."

Harry suddenly remembered. "She talked to Molly Weasley, didn't she?" Thinking about Ginny's mum made him think of Ginny herself. He wondered if Teddy could feel the sudden swoop in his stomach.

Andromeda nodded. "I'm glad my daughter listened to her. And I hope you listen to me." She reached out and took the bottle from Teddy's mouth; Harry hadn't realized it was nearly empty. "Put the cloth on your shoulder and move his head up there too; he needs to burp."

Awkwardly, Harry shifted the cloth and then Teddy. "What do I do?"

"Just rub and pat, it won't take long."

Harry tentatively patted Teddy's back and Andromeda gave the happiest sounding laugh Harry had heard all afternoon. "I told you, Harry, he won't break. Pat him like you mean it."

Harry did, and was rewarded less than a minute later. He grinned. "I did it!"

"You did," smiled Andromdea. She reached out. "And now, I need to give him his bath, and I believe you have someone to find for an important talk."

Harry carefully handed over Teddy. His arms felt strangely empty and he ruffled his hair for something to do. "I know," he said. "I just have to find the right time."

"No," said Andromeda. "You will make it the right time. Of all people, you should know that waiting never does anyone any good." She leaned over and kissed Harry on the cheek. "Bring her with you, next time you come, okay?"

Harry looked down at his godson. Teddy's eyes were still open and this time, Harry felt certain the baby was looking right at him. He kissed his forehead. "I will," he promised.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: The older I've gotten, and my kids have gotten, the more I've thought about the relationship between Harry and Teddy. I have a couple of seventeen-year-olds in my own life, and I know how overwhelming this situation would be. I also know that we don't always give teens enough credit to rise to the occasion when necessary.

Harry was thoughtful as he Apparated back to the Burrow. The Burrow, and not Grimmauld Place, where he was ostensibly living now, because Molly Weasley had insisted that she wanted her family close this entire, terrible week. "Harry, you'll be up with Ron, of course," she'd said before Harry could even consider whether he was to be included or not. And so Harry was there, trying to be both helpful and unobtrusive as the Weasleys tried to learn how to navigate the new normal of grief and life without Fred.

As he walked from the Apparition point to the Burrow's back door, Harry decided to wait until after Fred's funeral, three days hence, to try to talk to Ginny. Three days would give her time with her family; it wouldn't seem like Harry was trying to take advantage of the situation or showing any disrespect. Three days would give him time to figure out exactly what he wanted to say.

Feeling relieved about his decision, Harry pushed open the back door, intending to offer his help to Mrs. Weasley however he could. His eyes fell instead on Ginny, sitting at the kitchen table, quietly cutting up vegetables. Her shoulders were hunched and her eyes were red, but she looked up and gave him a watery smile.

"How is Teddy? And Andromeda?" she asked quietly.

Harry promptly forgot the decision he had just made. He swallowed. "Andromeda is holding up," he said thickly. "Teddy . . . Teddy's brilliant." He shuffled his feet, speaking quickly before he could change his mind. "Ginny . . . can I talk to you for a second?" He glanced across the room, where Molly was silently stirring something on the stove, not even bothering to use magic. "In private?"

Ginny seemed to have been waiting for him to say something; she nodded quickly and stood up. "The garden?" she asked. "I need more carrots and things for the stew."

Harry followed Ginny outside, careful to keep at least an arms-length distance from her as they walked. He thought she glanced at him once or twice, but neither of them spoke as they walked past the heavy stone walls and among the neat rows of vegetables. In the center of the garden, Ginny stopped and began tugging carrots out of the ground dropping them carefully into her basket. She looked up at Harry. "Can you dig up some of those turnips?" she asked, pointing.

Harry did as he was told, carefully using his wand to unearth the vegetables and brush off most of the dirt. Ginny was crouched down over the basket, arranging tomatoes, and Harry knelt next to her with the turnips. He put his hand carefully on top of hers.

"Ginny," he said quietly.

Ginny froze. A silent heartbeat went by, and then she twisted her hand under his to thread their fingers together.

Harry looked at their clasped hands. He squeezed them and felt Ginny squeeze back. He didn't look at her. She squeezed again.

"Thank you," she said simply.

Harry nodded, his eyes still on their hands. "I . . . I wanted to. Before this." He finally dared to look at her. "I just wasn't sure. . . ."

"I know. I did too," she replied softly, and Harry knew that he really didn't need to say much more about it. She smiled, and Harry could see a few unshed tears still glistening on her lashes. One snaked down her cheek and Harry hesitated only a moment before brushing it away with the pad of his thumb.

"Tell me about Teddy," she said.

They walked over to sit on the old wooden bench that leaned against the garden wall.

"He's so small," said Harry. "Not much bigger than a Quaffle when he was curled up in my arms." He smiled in remembrance. "He grabbed my shirt, wouldn't let go. And he kept smacking his lips while he slept. Andromeda says he does that all the time."

Ginny reached out and took his hand again. "Can he change his appearance like his . . . him mum?" Her voice broke and Harry knew her thoughts were in the same place as his. He nodded.

"He can," he confirmed. "He did, when he got comfortable with me; his hair turned pink at the tips. Although Andromeda said it will be some time before he can make purposeful changes." Harry scooted closer to Ginny, closing the space between them on the bench. "I told him about his dad, and mine," he said quietly. "I promised him lots of stories. He won't have to grow up like I did, not knowing . . ." Harry took a deep breath. ". . .not knowing that there are people who love him."

Ginny twisted sideways on the bench and put her hand on Harry's cheek , turning his head so that he faced her. "But you know now, don't you? How many people love you? Because they do," she said fiercely. "Not only the people you've lost, people right now." She ticked off names. "Ron and Hermione, my parents, all my brothers." Ginny's voice dropped. "And me," she said in no more than a whisper. "Of course."

The silence stretched. Without even thinking about it, Harry leaned in until his forehead rested against Ginny's. "I should have said it when I first knew," he said. "I thought it would make it harder for me to leave. Or if it had ended . . . differently." He trailed his free hand down her cheek. "I wish I had told you."

"Since then?" She leaned into Harry's palm. "I think I knew, anyway," she said.

"Just to be clear," Harry said softly. "I love you. And not in the way I love all the other people you named."

Ginny gave a small chuckle. "Ron will be relieved."

"And . . . I love Teddy too. Already. Is that crazy? I just met him."

"It's not crazy at all, Harry," said Ginny softly. "Remus knew what he was doing when he made you Teddy's godfather."

Harry was quiet for a minute. "Do you think he knew? Remus, I mean. Do you think he knew that he wasn't going to be around to . . . raise his son?" Harry had been thinking a lot about this in the last days, what Remus and Tonks must have discussed when they'd chosen Harry as Teddy's godfather. "Maybe they figured I'd just be like a fun uncle who showed up with inappropriate gifts and things," he said. "Not someone who would have to be . . . whatever it is I'm going to be." He made a helpless gesture and finally gave voice to the worry he'd been trying to suppress ever since he'd seen Teddy's parents lying lifelessly in the Great Hall.

"What if I'm terrible at this? I don't know anything about babies, Andromeda had to show me everything, how to hold him, how to feed him, how to burp him. I didn't know a thing." Harry ran his hand through his hair. "I owe it to Teddy to be what he needs, I know better than anyone what it's going to be like for him. What if I don't do it right?" Too restless in his worry to sit, Harry jumped up off the bench and walked a couple of steps towards an arbor covered with tangled vines. He rested his hand on it for a long minute, looking at the tiny flowers that hung between the leaves.

And then Ginny was there, wrapping her arms around him from behind, speaking into his back. "Exactly," she said. "You know things that no one else knows about what Teddy needs, and is going to need, as he grows. Anyone can burp a baby. It's much more important that he's going to have you in his life to help him . . . "

"Grow up without his mum and dad," Harry finished. He turned around. "I just hope I can figure out what that means."

Ginny still had her arms around him. "Didn't you say you already starting telling him about Remus and your dad? And that he was comfortable enough with you that his appearance changed? I think you already know what to do. And what you don't, you'll figure out as you go along." She squeezed his waist. "Mum always says that anyone who thinks they know everything about raising kids has probably never raised a kid."

Almost unconsciously, Harry wrapped arms around Ginny too. "Andromeda will be raising him," he said fairly. "I just plan to be there a lot." He looked down at her. "I hope you'll come with me, at least some of the time. Andromeda wants to meet you."

Ginny looked up at Harry. "You already told her about me?" She sounded shyly pleased.

"Of course I did," said Harry with a grin. "It's only you I had trouble telling." He grew more serious. "And your family, of course. D'you think we should wait to let them know? Until after, umm, you know. _Fred's funeral._

Ginny resolutely shook her head. "They will be happy to know," she said simply.

Harry suddenly understood how right that sounded. "They will, actually," he said. "I didn't really think about that." He was quiet for a moment. "I guess it's like with Teddy," he finally said. "What happened is horrible, and there are going to be times that it feels nearly overwhelming." Ginny shuddered in his arms and lay her head against his chest.

Harry kissed her hair. "But we can't let that sadness define the rest of our lives. We have to figure out a way to include it. It's the only way to really honor Fred and Remus and Tonks, and everyone."

Ginny gave a watery chuckle. "Ten minutes ago you were upset that you didn't know how to burp a baby. Now you're beginning to sound like Dumbledore."

"For so long, I thought his unyielding faith in the power of love was rather unrealistic and overly simple," Harry admitted. "I think I'm finally starting to get it now. He just told me . . ." he stopped, and looked down at Ginny. "I haven't even told you, have I? What happened at the battle?" It was a big story, of course, and he wasn't sure this was the time.

Ginny seemed to get that. She shook her head. "I know you will when you – and I – are ready," she said. "I suspect it's not something you casually discuss over pudding."

"That's definitely true," said Harry. "I think, if it's okay, I need a couple more days. I just want to be able to focus on family right now." He gave her a shy smile. "And maybe on kissing you? My seventeenth birthday was a long time ago, you know."

"So I guess you didn't run into any Veela, then?" Ginny tilted her head up a fraction. She licked her lips and suddenly Harry couldn't look anywhere else.

"Not a single one," he said softly, leaning down to find her.


End file.
